The United States of Obesity

[sixmile]

http://calorielab.com/news/2010/06/28/fattest-states-2010/

Mississippi is the fattest state for 5th straight year, Colorado still leanest

For 2010 Mississippi has claimed the title of fattest state for the fifth consecutive year, while Colorado continues its streak as the leanest. Maine rose the most places in the rankings over last year, while Oregon dropped the most, according to a new analysis by CalorieLab, Inc.

Most Obese States
Tennessee jumped from fourth place to tie last year’s second place state Alabama. Nine states have obese populations that exceed 30 percent over a three-year average, and in ten states two-thirds of the citizens were either overweight or obese by CDC standards in 2009.

Also not faring well this year was Maine, which rose six places to be the 29th fattest state, from last year’s 35th placing.



more at link

[DesertFlower]

1. wow. nt

[End Of The Road]

2. How did it get untied? nt

[sixmile]

3. Hilarious

Thanks

[End Of The Road]

6. I normally ignore typos, but I used to work for the "Untied" Methodist Church

as an organist. I don't know how many times I saw "untied" instead of "united" in newsletters and bulletins, because spellcheck never caught it. It really jumps out at me now.

Completely OT (forgive me): I had to submit the titles of preludes, etc, for the Sunday Bulletin, and during one Lent I was playing some version of an "Agnus Dei" (Lamb of God). Spellcheck turned it into Angus Die. I guess I killed the cow that day.

Back on topic: I moved to Texas from Ohio 30-some years ago, and really noticed the difference in average weight - Texans were, in general, thinner. At the time I attributed it to the warmer winters in Texas which allowed more year-round activity (either that or the women just couldn't hide under heavy winter coats like we did in Ohio). Now there is no difference. We've gotten fatter and dumber.

[sixmile]

7. Angus Die

My favorite metal band!

[Ilsa]

4. I live in south Texas and I am amazed how little adults care about

their weight and health, even with the threat of diabetes hanging over them. And the higher the rate of obesity, the more people seem to accept their own condition, rationalizing that it must be okay to fit in with obese and morbidly obese. Their health doesn't seem important to them.

[CoffeeCat]

5. People are stress eating...

...due to many, many reasons. They're coping with food.

And junk food these days is poison. Given high-fructose
corn syrup and partially-hydrogenated oils--junk food has
become a lethal weapon.

People gain weight so quickly eating processed junk.

I hope this turns around.

We all deserve a better quality of life.

[BoneDaddy]

20. Give me a break

Why does everything on DU seem to boil down to never being the responsibility of the individual. Of course I acknowledge environmental influences, but adults need to be accountable for themselves without this litany of excuses to why they are obese. Blame, blame blame

[CoffeeCat]

21. Just to clairfy...

When did I say indicate that stress eating and poor eating choices are "never being the responsibility of the individual."?

Most certainly, a person's weight and health IS their responsibility.

Stress eating is a coping mechanism. Ultimately it is a choice. It is a decision that someone makes and it is
their responsibility to change it. I have compassion for people in these circumstances, but I never said that they
weren't responsible for these decisions.

Obviously, dealing with stress by eating--and choose junk food--are not an optimal choices. But I never said that people weren't
responsible for themselves.

Just because someone has empathy or compassion--or is able to see the underlying reasons for behavior--does not mean that they
don't believe in personal responsibility. Frankly, that's a total right-wing meme.

Ultimately, the only way overeating, obesity, stress eating and unhealthy eating can be tackled is by people empowering themselves.

[donco6]

8. Yay! Colorado!

Finally some good news for a change.

[DavidDvorkin]

9. It's actually bad news

When you look around in Colorado, you see a lot of very fat people. So this really says that the country as a whole is really in a mess.

[Township75]

10. I remember when food prices were surging a few years ago...

thinking that maybe, just maybe, this would make people stop eating so excessively. Of course that was just a day dream.

When the price of food goes up, I don't shed too many tears because most people have more than enough food adn it shows.

[Zoeisright]

11. That is a disgusting attitude.

Shame on you. Many people are obese because of depression, and because healthy food not only costs more, it takes effort to prepare. There are hundreds of thousands of hungry and malnourished people in this country. That attitude is sickening.

[Township75]

12. You need a reality check.

Depression can lead to over eating, but be honest...how many depressed people do you know and how many overweight people do you know.

Those that are hungry and malnourished aren't the ones I am referring too, because they are hungry due to lack of food.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

13. You don't get it at all, do you?

You think all fat people are lazy and overeat. And you think human metabolism, it's simply in/out exothermic chemical reactions. It's not. That's what a LOT of people on DU think, every time an obesity thread is started.

Glandular problems are common. An estimated thirty to forty million people in the U.S. have a thyroid problem, usually a low-functioning or dead thyroid. That is not a rare condition. But we never see research drives on TV for funds to find out WHY so many people have these problems.

Metabolic syndrome, diabetes, adrenal fatigue, rampant hypothyroidism and other autoimmune diseases, lack of exercise, eating junk food, HFCS, chemicals in our food that mess up our endocrine glands...there are lots of reasons for obesity. Millions of people have these problems. Doctors don't listen, either. They give people antidepressants and refuse to give people enough thyroid extract to make them feel functional.

The level of ignorance here in DU is astounding. We have those who won the genetic lottery saying, "All you have to do is eat less and exercise more and you will lose weight".

That is not true for a lot of people. Do you think anyone who is fat would prefer to be fat, considering all the hate floating around here for the less-than-perfect bodies? You'd think we fat people were moral failures instead of having medical problems not of our own making.


http://thyroid.about.com

http://stopthethyroidmadness.com

[Pavulon]

15. Thyroid conditions are treatable. The vast majority of people who are fat

are fat because they eat shit food and dont exercise. I saw no fat old men in the national guard. Running overrode the HORRIBLE diet. I see no fat distance runners, bicyclists, swimmers, etc.

It is easier to be fat than be healthy. Eating healthy sucks, it can be done without spending more money but no one wants to eat celery, tuna, and greens. It is "easier" to eat mcshit or other trash food.

Aside from true metabolic disease it is simple math. You can burn 600 calories an hour, you can only process 400 calories an hour. More exercise = weight loss.

But riding a bike until your ass feels like it was hit with a belt sander sucks. Watching tv is easier.

[Divernan]

19. If you eat at fast food places, you are responsible for being overweight

I took the easy way for decades - very little physical exercise & eating lunch "out" 5 days a week at work and then going out to restaurants on the weekends. I got to the point of being nearly 100 lbs. overweight for my height and frame. Hell, I was driving 40,000 miles a year as part of my job and living on drive through junk food places.

After I retired, I (at my doc's urging) took a hard look at my lifestyle. I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and was pre-diabetic. I started exercising at the local Y 3 or 4 times a week (water aerobics, nautilus machines)and making my own meals at home. With the exception of maybe once a month meeting friends for a meal, I don't go to restaurants and have TOTALLY avoided fast food/junk food. I eat mostly the same foods I used to eat, but home-made and in moderation. No french fries, no doughnuts, no candy bars. I have Christmas cookies at Xmas, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream at Thanksgiving. Thankfully my grandmother and Mom taught me how to cook, and being retired I have time to do so.

Results? In 2 years I have lost 41 lbs - that's at a rate of 1.5 to 2 lbs. per month. I am no longer pre-diabetic and my doc took me off the cholesterol meds. I'm still on the blood pressure meds - but feel a LOT better. I see myself not as being on a diet, but as having permanently changed my eating habits. I hope to lose another 40 or so lbs. over the next couple of years. That would still leave me about 20 lbs. overweight - far from anorectic!

I want to point out to those blaming depression for their eating habits, that exercise is a great treatment for depression. And I disagree with someone who said making one's own meals is more expensive than eating out. Absolutely untrue.

Given the political culture and multiple problems of our society, I'm not so optimistic about getting off the blood pressure meds - but hope to.

[dmallind]

14. when bmi scales mean shit then I may care

I for onr could have zero% body fat - neither possible nor desirable, and I would still be on the cusp of obese, obviously very very high on the overweight scale. People forget this scale was established based on malnourished Belgian peasants.

[yellowwood]

16. Dialysis

This month's issue (December) of The Atlantic has a frightening article on the increase of dialysis. It reports that kidney failure rates have increased more than 80 per cent since the 1990's. Much of it results from diabetes which is often triggered by obesity.
Dialysis patients undergo treatment four hours a day three days a week.

I believe that much of the epidemic can be attributed to our food industry which pushes junk food. Also, people are not taught about eating quality food.

And, no, I don't believe that obesity is caused by poor economic conditions. Beans and rice (brown) are cheap. So are many other quality foods.

[progressoid]

17. If we think heath care prices are high now

Just wait until a few more years as this trend grows. It ain't gonna be pretty.

[Taitertots]

23. Because skinny people don't die n/t

[End Of The Road]

18. Many of the poor have to rely on convenience stores for their food

I was unaware of this until I took a job in a poor part of town (although I've since found numerous articles about it). The neighborhood was an entangled mess of highways, as poor areas in big cities often are, and the nearest grocery store was a good five miles from my office. But there were plenty of convenience stores selling shit to people on food stamps. It was an eye-opener, for sure.

[Taitertots]

22. So what

Why do you give a shit what percentage of Americans are overweight? If someone wants to eat what they like and die 10 years earlier I'm not going to tell them no.